The resettlement of the American countryside is underway. Most people will fail. Some will succeed. There are hundreds of thousands of people thriving on prosperous homesteads across America. Come visit. Learn how to succeed in this manner of living.

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Water on the Homestead

A consistent supply of fresh potable drinking and livestock water is the first issue that a real homestead must address. No water—no homestead. And there is not much to it. You can drill a well or you can collect rainwater. A pond or stream branch is OK for livestock... but it is not a solution for the family operating the homestead. Try carrying ten gallons of water in two buckets and a shoulder yoke back to the house and you will understand the issue perfectly.

Rainwater from cisterns still needs to be sterilized before drinking, or you risk water-bourne illnesses, but that water is just fine for bathing, washing, and cooking (boiling). That leaves a water well.

You need a well. Wells cost money, but they are a great investment. This is just one of those things that separate doers from dreamers (along with the purchase of enough land, the manpower to make that land produce, and all of the tools, equipment, implements, and livestock that make a real homestead a homestead). We have lots of simple rainwater collection setups around the homestead.

And a hand pump for drinking water.

Rainwater catchment is relatively cheap, although a good cistern is about a buck a gallon ($2,000 will buy a 2,000-gallon cistern and the necessary plumbing). A well will set you back anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000. A good handpump is about $2,000. If you are really going to do this you are really going to need water. There is no way around that.

In my best-selling book, "Prosperous Homestead," I lay out the how, when, and why of each step and issue that families who intend to succeed in this manner of living will need to know about. Book two in the series, "Farming with Horses," from ClubOrlov Press, is due out by year-end.

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